Mission St. Anniversary Ale 2011 | Steinhaus Brewing Co.

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Pours a deep almost opaque dark brown with a 1 inch tan head that fades to a tiny cap. No real lacing on the glass. Smells of sweet malts, brown sugar, dark fruits, with some nutty notes - perhaps hazelnut. Very porter and barleywine like notes in the nose. Tastes of roasted caramel malt, brown sugar, dark fruits, with a nutty finish after each sip. There is a definite alcohol burn in the throat with each drink. There is a very slight bitterness on the back of the tongue. Good carbonation. Smooth and creamy with a medium body. Overall, a very good beer for a ridiculously great price. I am sure I will be buying more of these for the cellar. I can seeing this beer only getting better with age.

This is a great brew for $3. When you drink it it fills your mouth with wonderful fruit and porter flavors. The hokie fan is out to lunch to rate this beer where he did - but what do you expect for a Hokie fan. I am a fan of intense flavorful beers and this did not disappoint. I will definately buy 5 or 6 more and reward myself every few weeks with a 2011 bomber. If you live near a Trader Joe's do yourself a favor and pick up a few of these. If you are a Bud Light fan- beware, you can't handle this sophisticated brew.

A- Dark, murky brown with a touch of garnet. The head is small but it has good retention and sticks around for a while.

S- Rich caramel and toffee with a hint of cocoa powder. There's also an earthy, mineral note (from the hops?) that adds a nice complexity.

T- Starts out very sweet, perhaps too sweet; it's almost a bit artificial-tasting. It's big on the caramel and sweet bread notes, flavors which dominate to the point of being cloying. An earthy bitterness comes through at times but clashes with the sweetness rather than complementing it. Alcohol is evident throughout.

M- Fairly thick and syrupy with a low level of carbonation. Appropriate for a beer of its strength.

Well, it's not terrible, but it's not great either. The flavor is a major flaw; it's too sweet and the flavors don't meld well. I was encouraged by the aroma, but the taste simply fell flat. I can't really complain because it was only 2.99 for the bomber; however, I won't be getting it again, even at that price. I think that's rather telling.

First off, I'm a big fan of the Mission St. beers. Always grab them when I can't decide on anything else at Trader Joe's (as an employee and head of the beer section at my store I get a few quite a few chances here and there to purchase). Always consistent and their beers are made by Firestone Walker. This beer of course following the trend of Firestone blends. It is "40% high alc ESB, 20% IRS, and 40% robust porter with cascade hops."

A - pours a deep brown with a short lasting head. Still a good looking beer.

S - subtle but sweet with a hint of booze

T - continues on the nose, but with more focus on the sweetness. Labeling this thing as an imperial brown was pretty damn accurate. Similarities to a dubbel minus the Belgian yeast. Slightly roasty with a touch of choc/mocha at the back end.

M - thinner than expected. Improved with warmth.

For $2.99 I will definitely pick up a few more to keep around. I have been looking forward to this beer ever since in was only mentioned as a possibility, which may be the root of my slight disappointment, but it's still the best bottle I've bought for 3 buxxx.

Pulled the trigger on this while shopping at Trader Joe's. My theory was how bad can a 8.5 beer with a claimed Imperial Brown Ale for $3 be?

Surprised me for the depth of nose and taste. As stated the head disappears soon, but doesn't affect the beer. It has a slight drying/sweet ending that begs you to take another sip. It's a bit to sweet to have more than a bottle, but at $3 a bottle it is a steal.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle from Trader Joe's ($3/ea) into a tall chilled glass. Nice off-white head and deep, dark brown color after the pour. The aroma was light for such a dark brew, but not unpleasant.

The product listing calls this beer an 'Imperial Brown Ale' and that is an accurate description. The heavy malt profile covers any hint of alcohol - and at 8.5% ABV, that's quite an achievement. The hops hold their own against the sweet, herbal, and carmel notes that dominate this brew.

At this price, I'll buy a few more bottles to store for next year as this strong ale is likely to improve with time. A good value even when consumed now.

Advertised as an Imperial Brown Ale, I was intrigued by this decently priced offering at Trader Joe's. Looking dark as mud and boasting an 8.5% abv I couldn't resist trying something random and new.

Once in the glass it's revealed to be definitely brown - not black - without any hint of red shining through. A thin lacy head appears momentarily but dissipates. Still, there's something appealing about the color.

It smells like a brown ale with slight hints of fruit and nuts and a very minimal smoky/bitterness.

The taste reflects the smell, but gets more toward specifics: cashews and apples, maybe some plum. It's slightly sweet but not cloying or sticky at all, thankfully.

Mouthfeel is solid but not impressive. This goes down smooth - non-sticky indeed - and has a nice texture flowing over the tongue, but once it's down it's quickly forgotten and there's not much body to leave an impression.

I think this is a great beer at the price - under $3 for a bomber - being dark and flavorful with a hearty abv and an attractive look and smell... it's just nothing spectacular that I would go out of my way to recommend to friends. Pick one or two up while they last.